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American English has been enriched by the widespread adoption of words based on vocabulary of Native American tribes, including the many tribes that spoke (and, in some cases, still speak) one of the Algonquian languages of what is now eastern North America. The following is a list of such terms, more or less commonly used, most of which refer to animals or plants or products derived from them.

apishamore (Algonquian): a buffalo-hide saddle blanketbabiche (Míkmaq): a leather or sinew thong or threadcaribou (Míkmaq): a species of large antlered mammalcaucus (Algonquian): a group of people who meet to discuss an issue or work together toward a goal; also a verbchipmunk (Odawa): any of various small rodent species that are part of the squirrel familychinquapin (Powhatan): a dwarf chestnut tree or its nutcisco (Ojibwe): a whitefishhackmatack (Algonquian): a type of larch tree, or its woodhickory (Powhatan): a type of tree or its wood, or a cane or switch made of the woodhominy (Powhatan): soaked and hulled corn kernelshusky (based on shortening of the Cree word from which Eskimo is derived): a type of dog; the adjective husky is unrelatedkinkajou (Algonquian): a Central and South American mammalkinnikinnick (or killikinnick or killickinnick) (Unami Delaware): a mixture of dried leaves and bark smoked like tobacco, or the plant (also called bearberry) from which the materials are takenmackinaw (Menomini): a heavy type of cloth used for coats and blankets, or a coat or blanket made of the cloth, or a type of troutmoccasin (Algonquian): a soft leather shoe or a regular shoe resembling a traditional moccasin, or, as “water moccasin,” a species of snake or a similar snakemoose (Eastern Abenaki): a species of large antlered mammalmugwump (Eastern Abenaki): originally, a war leader, but in American slang, a kingpin, later a political independent, or someone neutral or undecidedmuskellunge (Ojibwe): a pike (a type of fish)muskeg (Cree): a bog or swampmuskrat (Western Abenaki): an aquatic rodentopossum (Powhatan): a marsupial (sometimes possum)papoose (Narragansett): an infantpecan (Illinois): a type of tree, or the wood or the nut harvested from itpemmican (Cree): a food made of pounded meat and melted fat, and sometimes flour and molasses as wellpersimmon (Powhatan): a type of tree, or the fruit harvested from itpipsissewa (Abenaki): a type of herb with leaves used for tonic and diuretic purposespokeweed (Powhatan): a type of herbpone (Powhatan): flat cornbread; also called cornpone, which is also slang meaning “countrified” or “down-home”)powwow (Narragansett): a Native American medicine man, or, more commonly, a Native American ceremony, fair, or other gathering; also, slang for “meeting” or, less often, “party”puccoon (Powhatan): a type of plant, or the pigment derived from itpung (Algonquian): a box-shaped sleigh drawn by one horsepunkie (Munsee): an alternate name for a biting midge, a type of flyquahog (Narragansett): a type of edible clamQuonset hut (Algonquian): a trademark for a type of prefabricated structure with an arched corrugated-metal roofraccoon (Powhatan): a type of mammal noted for its masklike facial markings, or the fur of the animalsachem (Algonquian): a chief of a Native American tribe or confederation of tribes; also, a leader in the Tammany Hall political machinesagamore (Eastern Abenaki): an Algonquian tribal chiefshoepac (Unami Delaware): a cold-weather laced bootskunk (Massachusett): a type of mammal known for spraying a noxious odor in defense, or the fur of the animal; also, slang for “obnoxious person”squash (Narragansett): any of various plants that produces fruit, also called squash, that is cultivated as a vegetable; the verb squash, and the name of the ball-and-racquet game, are unrelatedsquaw (Massachusetts): a Native American woman or, by extension, a woman or a wife; the word is widely considered offensivesuccotash (Narragansett): a dish of green corn and lima or shell beansterrapin (Powhatan): one of various types of turtlestoboggan (Míkmaq): a wooden sled with the front end curved up and, by extension, a downward course or a sharp decline (the activity of using such a sled is called tobogganing); also, a slang term for a winter stocking cap with a pom-pom or a tasseltomahawk (Powhatan): a light ax used as a throwing or hacking weapon; as verb, it means “use a tomahawk”totem (Ojibwe): an object, usually an animal or plant, serving as a family or clan emblem, or, more often, a carved or painted representation, often in the form of a pole fashioned from a tree trunk and carved with figures representing one’s ancestors (also, a family or clan so represented); by extension, any emblem or symboltuckahoe (Powhatan): a type of plant with an edible root, or the edible part of a type of fungustullibee (Ojibwe): any one of several types of whitefishwampum (Massachusett): beads of polished shells used as ceremonial gifts, money, or ornaments; also, slang for “money”wanigan (Ojibwa): a tracked or wheeled shelter towed by a tractor or mounted on a boat or raftwapiti Shawnee): another word for elkwickiup (Fox): a hut or shelter made of a rough frame of vegetationwigwam (Eastern Abenaki): a hut or shelter made of a rough frame of vegetation or hideswoodchuck (Algonquian): a type of marmot (a small mammal); also called a groundhog

Craft Words

There are parts of the writing craft that many writers struggle with at some point in their writing journey—telling too much instead of showing, for example. Some clever word wranglers have taken the time to create word lists that can help you to attend to common writer missteps:

TellingWords at Tech Tools for Writers—identifies words that may indicate instances of telling

-ly Words at Tech Tools for Writers—highlights adverbs often used in dialogue, which may indicate that you’re telling instead of showing. Often, he said and she said will suffice.

Historical Words

If you’re writing historical fiction, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with vocabulary from the time period in which you’re writing. These word lists will take you back in time.